99 Women (Der heiße Tod) 55 years old
99 WOMEN... behind bars -- without men!
Jesus Franco's campy women's prison film is worthwhile for genre devotees primarily due to an outstanding cast. Mercedes McCambridge is unintentionally hilarious as sadistic lesbian warden Thelma Diaz, spitting tacky dialogue with exuberant venom in a performance so overbearing that it verges on classic. The plot is standard for the genre, as three women (Maria Rohm, Elisa Montes, Luciana Paluzzi) are sentenced to an island prison off the Panamanian coast, only to encounter torture, rape, and lesbianism. When sympathetic Warden Caroll (Maria Schell) replaces Diaz, the prisoners assume that conditions will improve, but their agony only worsens until they decide to escape. Rosalba Neri co-stars, and Herbert Lom runs the corrupt men's prison nearby. 99 Mujeres was heavily censored in various prints, with versions running anywhere between 70 and 108 minutes. Edits running 84, 86, and 94 minutes are most commonly available.
Credits
99 Women Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Luciana Paluzzi She was 31, now 87 years old | as Natalie Mendoza |
| Jesús Franco He was 38, 82 years old when he died | as Official |
| Maria Rohm She was 23, 72 years old when she died | as Marie |
| Herbert Lom He was 51, 95 years old when he died | as Governor Santos |
| Maria Schell She was 43, 79 years old when she died | as Leonie Caroll |
| Elsa Zabala | |
| Rosalba Neri She was 29, now 85 years old | as Zoe |
| Elisa Montés She was 34, now 90 years old | as Helga |
| Valentina Godoy | as Rosalie |
| Mercedes McCambridge She was 50, 85 years old when she died | as Thelma Diaz |
| José María Blanco He was 34, now 89 years old | as Doctor |
| María Vico |
99 Women Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Bruno Nicolai as Original Music Composer. He was 42 (65) years old when He died | Sound |
| Bruno Nicolai as Music. He was 42 (65) years old when He died | Sound |
| Harry Alan Towers as Producer. He was 48 (88) years old when He died | Production |
| Harry Alan Towers as Dialogue. He was 48 (88) years old when He died | Writing |
| Jesús Franco as Director. He was 38 (82) years old when He died | Directing |
| Jesús Franco as Screenplay. He was 38 (82) years old when He died | Writing |
| Manuel Merino as Director of Photography. | Camera |
99 Women (55 years)
99 WOMEN... behind bars -- without men!
- Release day: Wednesday, March 05, 1969
- Runtime: 99 minutes